Tuesday, April 29, 2014

“Everyone
wants access to high-speed, reliable mobile Internet wherever they are,
including at 5,000 feet. We are building on AT&T's significant strengths to
develop in-flight connectivity technology unlike any other that exists today,
based on 4G LTE standards. We believe this will enable airlines and passengers
to benefit from reliable high speeds and a better experience. We expect this
service to transform connectivity in the aviation industry -- we are truly
mobilizing the sky.”

Chief Strategy Officer
at AT&T, John Stankey, in a press release on Sunday April 29th
2014

The
excerpt above says it all. GoGo, a name that makes me think of girls dancing on
poles on a plane, Iron Man Style, is going to get some serious competition by
the Third Quarter of 2015 from 4G LTE Wielding Telecom Provider AT&T.

This
as it’s not really 4G LTE that the passengers on board the airplane will be
using. Rather, Telecom Provider AT&T will
most likely install 4G LTE BTS (Base Transceiver Stations) and provision BBU
(Base Band Units) at the Airport on these Cell Towers. Then, they’ll install 4G
LTE-to-Wi-Fi Routers in the airplanes as well as in the Airport buildings to
convert the 4G LTE Wireless Broadband signal to Wi-Fi.

The
Wi-Fi protocol they’ll most likely use is the 1 Gigabit capable IEEE 802.11ac Wi-Fi
Protocol. The 4G LTE-to-Wi-Fi Routers will receive the 4G LTE signal and to handle
the conversion of 4G LTE signal from their Cell Towers transmitted over the 14
GHz Spectrum to Wi-Fi, making it possible for airplanes in the air to receive Broadband
Speed Internet on a plane

Interestingly too, this isn’t the first time Telecom
Provider AT&T is responding to a growing
threat, as they’re also ramping up their offer of 1 Gbps Fiber Optic Internet
to counter competition from Google Fiber as stated in “AT&T Eyes Major
Gigabit Internet Expansion”, published APRIL 21, 2014 03:02PM EST BY
STEPHANIE MLOT, PCMag.

AT&T
U-Verse is being expanded to approximately 21 cities in the US of A as listed
below:

1.Atlanta

2.Augusta

3.Charlotte

4.Chicago

5.Cleveland

6.Fort Lauderdale

7.Fort Worth

8.Greensboro

9.Houston

10.Jacksonville

11.Kansas City

12.Los Angeles

13.Miami

14.Nashville

15.Oakland,

16.Orlando

17.San Antonio

18.San Diego

19.San Francisco

20.San Jose

21.St. Louis

Not really sure where half of these places are
(I’m straight up like that!) but it you’re in the US of A reading this, then
note I’m very jealous. Google Fiber apparently is the reason for this sudden
push.

Telecom
Provider Digicel is also dabbling
with the idea of Streaming Television in the Caribbean, based on the recent
acquisition of a small Cable Provider in Dominica in February 2014 that also
has a Fiber Optic Network as stated in “Digicel
Acquires Cable TV Operation”, Published Wednesday February 19, 2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.

So
it’s not so bad, as albeit we’re behind, we’re at least catching up via the use
of the latest Technology. Most of what’s being installed is the Best Technology
that Telecom Equipment Provider Ericsson or Telecom Equipment Provider Huawei
have in stock to sell to the Telecom Providers.

It’s
now just a matter of wait-and-see to see as to who will be given the contract
to provide the Telecom Equiptment to Telecom Provider Digicel and Telecom Provider LIME as well as what plans they have for
VAS.

Hopefully
In-Flight 4G LTE and FTTH (Fiber to the House) may be in the mix by 2015-2017
as our economy improves and becomes affluent enough to afford these high-end
services.